Hi, just joined the forum. Huge fan of all things Batman.
This is just something I've been pondering: In the early stages of Batman's career should Gotham be depicted as a more realistic and grounded setting with him fighting plainclothes crooks and gangsters and gradually transition to a more colorful and larger than life world of costumed supervillains, or, should it be the other way around, with it starting out colorful and fantastical and gradually transforming into a darker and grimmer world overtime. Personally, I prefer the former interpretation as I find it more interesting to see the grounded world of ordinary gangsters breaking down and giving way to a more outlandish world of costumed super-villainy, like in The Long Halloween. That being said though, there are stories, that support the latter interpretation like The Dark Knight Returns. Granted we don't really see the backstory to that world, but it's easy to imagine that it started off lighthearted and whimsical and became darker over time, particularly after reading Alan Moore's introduction in the original Trade Paperback.
What do you think? This is my first post. Sorry if it's a bit rambling!